1. Field of the Technology
The present disclosure generally relates to the communication of short messages from a mobile communication device via a wireless communication network, and more particularly to the communication of short messages (i.e. Short Message Service or SMS messages) of the emergency type when the mobile communication device is operating in a visiting (non-home) wireless network outside of its home wireless network.
2. Description of the Related Art
In today's communication systems, a user of a mobile communication device can often communicate by sending a Short Message through the Short Message Service (“SMS”). When the user sends a SMS message, it is usually routed to the user's home network SMS Service Center (“SMS-SC”). For example, if the user's home network were in New York, NY, his SMS messages would be routed to his home network SMS-SC in New York, NY even when he sends an SMS message while is roaming in London, England, and is out of his home network. For most applications, routing SMS messages to the user's home network SMS-SC presents no problem, but there are certain situations, such an SMS message requesting emergency assistance, where it would be preferable for the SMS message to be sent to an SMS-SC in the currently visited network and its content sent on an entity providing local emergency assistance. Presently, to provide local emergency assistance to the user, it would be necessary for a receiving Short Message Entity (“SME”) in the user's home network to provide the details of the emergency SMS message to a local SME in the currently visited network where the user requires the emergency assistance. Such mechanisms can be quite complex and costly, and may well introduce delays and ineffective assistance.